Motorists traveling both directions of Seaway Drive/U.S. 31 BR and other well-traveled streets in Norton Shores should anticipate several weeks of road construction this spring.MLive.com file

NORTON SHORES, MI – Motorists traveling both directions of Seaway Drive/U.S. 31 BR and other well-traveled streets in Norton Shores should anticipate several weeks of road construction this spring.

The city has planned projects on Getty Street, Broadway Avenue and Grand Haven Road that will impact traffic, city and Michigan Department of Transportation officials said.

On Monday, April 14 work crews began a major rehabilitation on the Broadway Avenue bridge over Seaway Drive between Henry Street and Glade Street. The work includes building a shallow concrete overlay over the bridge, according to MDOT documents.

MDOT construction engineer Gregg Zack said the work is causing intermittent single-lane closures and will eventually prompt shoulder closures on Seaway Drive.

Zack said drivers should expect the current lane closures to end by early next week, but shoulder closures will pick up afterward. Work crews will temporary close lanes on Seaway Drive again “in a couple weeks” to paint and then do a hydro demolition of the bridge deck, he said.

Road officials will close Broadway Avenue starting the week of Monday, April 21 for the remainder of the project. Zack said the suggested detour route is Temple Street, Summit Avenue and Henry Street.

The project was initially slated to start in July but Zack said the contractor, Anlaan Corporation of Ferrysburg and Nunica, requested an earlier start date to which local officials agreed. The new expected completion date for work is July 13, 2014, he said.

The project will cost $942,345, according to a MDOT project update.

Norton Shores Project Engineer Jim Murphy said the frost in the ground and the state's weight restrictions have delayed Phase II of the Getty Street reconstruction project, which could begin as soon as Monday, April 21.

Michigan officials announced on Thursday that weight restrictions will be lifted “from the southern Michigan/Indiana and Ohio border north,” along with the entire stretch of U.S. 10 at Ludington east to and including M-25 and the entire thumb area in Huron County.

The work on Getty, which separates the Norton Shores border from Muskegon Heights, spans from Overbrook Drive to Broadway Avenue. During the reconstruction, crews will also install a sidewalk on the east side of the road.

Murphy said the work will be done in half-width phases to minimize the project's impact on surrounding residents and businesses. This means the lanes on one side of the road will be closed to motorists, while the opposite side will be open with a lane open in each direction.

The city council approved the MDOT grant agreement for work on Getty Street during its Feb. 18 meeting. Norton Shores City Administrator Mark Meyers said the estimated project cost is $1,040,400.

The state will offer up to $723,000 in grant funds, while the balance will come from appropriations from the city's 2014 and 2015 fiscal year capital improvement and municipal budgets.

Murphy said the long-awaited construction on Grand Haven Road between Pontaluna and Wilson will start in mid-May.

The city council approved a grant agreement with MDOT for road reconstruction during its Jan. 21 meeting. Meyers said the estimated project cost is $1,089,900 and will be funded in part by a state grant totaling up to $375,000.

The remaining monies will come from appropriations from the city’s local improvement and capital improvement budgets from fiscal year 2014, he said.

Last year, the state agency announced that the municipality was among select local units from nine counties to be awarded the grant. Mayor Gary Nelund said city officials attempted to secure a grant to fix the one-mile stretch at least three times.

Work on the road, which is used heavily by trucks traveling to and from the city's industrial park, will include grading, asphalt paving, aggregate base and sidewalk ramp work.